Kinect could be behind surge in popularity

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Research by the online voucher site revealed 43 percent of all games console searches on the site of for the Xbox 360, while Sony's Playstation 3 is lagging behind with 31 percent of all searches.

The Xbox's popularity may steam from the Kinect, which was launched earlier this month. The Kinect is a £129.99 motion-sensing camera add-on for the console, that enables Xbox users to play games by moving parts of their body, rather than a handheld controller. The technology can also identify different people's faces and recognise different voices.

The Kinect is encourages sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360

Microsoft Kinect also ships with a copy of Kinect Adventures - a game collection compatible with the motion-sensing camera that includes a white water rapids race and a ball batting game.

MyVoucherCodes said the Nintendo Wii is the least popular games console, accounting for just 16 percent of all searches relating to consoles on the site, that down 47 percent on this time last year.

Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes, said: "This time last year, the Nintendo Wii was still competing well against the other higher spec consoles. This year, however, the Wii is facing some fierce competition from its competitor; sony's PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 are forcing the Wii to the bottom of the gaming league table".

"I think the release of the Move [motion controller for the PS3] and Kinect is the sole reason."